Glossary - IT Support - Terms and definitions from Course 1

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404 Not Found: An error message you might see on websites that have been moved or deleted
A
Abstraction: To take a relatively complex system and simplify it for our use
Address bus: Connects the CPU to the MCC and sends over the location of the data, but not
the data itself
Algorithm: A series of steps that solves specific problems.
Android: A mobile operating system based on Linux
Application: A computer program designed for a specific use
Application software: Any software created to fulfill a specific need, like a text editor, web
browser, or graphics editor
ARPANET: The earliest version of the Internet that we see today, created by the US
government project DARPA in the 1960s
ASCII: The oldest character encoding standard used is ASCII. It represents the English
alphabet, digits, and punctuation marks
Assembly language: A language that allowed computer scientists to use human readable
instructions, assembled into code that the machines could understand
ATA: The most common interface that hard drives use to connect to our system
ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended): The most common form factor for motherboards
Automation: It makes processes work automatically

B
Backward compatible: It means older hardware works with newer hardware
Binary system: The communication that a computer uses is referred to as binary system, also
known as base-2 numeral system
Bios (Basic Input Output Services): The BIOS is software that helps initialize the hardware in
our computer and gets our operating system up and running
BIOS/UEFI: A low-level software that initializes our computer's hardware to make sure
everything is good to go
Block storage: It improves faster handling of data because the data isn't stored in one long
piece but in blocks, so it can be accessed quicker
Boot: To start up a computer
Bootloader: A small program that loads the operating system
Browser: A user interface for displaying and interacting with web pages
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Refers to the practice of allowing people to use their own
personal devices for work
Byte: A group of 8 bits
C
Cache: The assigned stored location for recently or frequently accessed data; on a mobile app
it is where anything that was changed or created with that app is stored
Character encoding: Is used to assign our binary values to characters so that we as humans
can read them
Charge cycle: One full charge and discharge of a battery
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): Regulates the information we show to
children under the age of 13
Chipset: It decides how components talk to each other on our machine
Chrome OS: A Linux-based operating system designed by Google
Clients: A device that receives data from a server
Clock cycle: When you send a voltage to the clock wire

Clock speed: The maximum number of clock cycles that it can handle in a set in a certain time
period
Clock wire: When you send or receive data, it sends a voltage to that clock wire to let the CPU
know it can start doing calculations
Coding: Translating one language to another
Command Line Interface (CLI): A shell that uses text commands to interact with the operating
system
Compiled programming language: A language that uses human readable instructions, then
sends them through a compiler
Computer: A device that stores and processes data by performing calculations
Computer file: Data that we store and a file can be anything, a word document, a picture, a
song, literally anything
Copyright: Used when creating original work
CPU: Central processing unit
CPU sockets: A CPU socket is a series of pins that connect a CPU’s processor to the PC’s
motherboard
Cryptography: The overarching discipline that covers the practice of coding and hiding
messages from third parties
D
DARPA: A US government project in the 1960s that went on to create the earliest version of the
Internet that we see today
Data blocks: Data that can be broken down into many pieces and written to different parts of
the hard disk
Data sizes: Metrics that refer to data sizes including bit, byte, kilobyte, kibibyte, and megabyte
DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM): A type of RAM that is faster, takes up less power,
and has a larger capacity than earlier SDRAM versions
Decimal form- base 10 system: In the decimal system, there are 10 possible numbers you can
use ranging from zero to nine
Desktop: The main screen where we can navigate our files, folders, and applications
Digital divide: The growing skills gap between people with and without digital literacy skills

DIMM: Dual Inline Memory Module
Display port: Port which also outputs audio and video
Distribution: A version of the operating system
Distributions: Some common Linux distributions are Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat
Domain name: A website name; the part of the URL following www.
Domain Name System (DNS): A global and highly distributed network service that resolves
strings of letters, such as a website name, into an IP address
DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory
Drivers: The drivers contain the instructions our CPU needs to understand external devices like
keyboards, webcams, printers
DVI: DVI cables generally just output video
E
Electrostatic discharge: Electrostatic discharge is a sudden and momentary flow of electric
current between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short or
dielectric breakdown
Error message: Helpful indicators that can point you in the right direction
Etcher.io: A tool you can use to load an install image onto your USB device and make it
bootable
Ethernet cable: It lets you physically connect to the network through a cable
.exe: A file extension found in Windows for an executable file
Expansion slots: Give us the ability to increase the functionality of our computer
External Data Bus (EDB): It's a row of wires that interconnect the parts of our computer
F
Factory reset: Resetting a device to the settings it came with from the factory
Fiber optic cable: Fiber optic cables contain individual optical fibers which are tiny tubes made
of glass about the width of a human hair. Unlike copper, which uses electrical voltages, fiber
cables use pulses of light to represent the ones and zeros of the underlying data

File extension: The appended part of a filename that tells us what type of file it is in certain
operating systems
File handling: A process of storing data using a program
File system: A system used to manage files
Finder: The file manager for all Macs
Firmware: Software that's permanently stored on a computer component
Folders/Directories: Used to organize files
Form factor: A mathematical way to compensate for irregularities in the shape of an object by
using a ratio between its volume and height
G
GIT: A version control system that helps keep track of changes made to files and directories
Globalization: The movement that lets governments, businesses, and organizations
communicate and integrate together on an international scale
H
Hard drive: It is a long term memory component that holds all of our data, which can include
music, pictures, applications
Hardware: External or internal devices and equipment that help you perform major functions
Hardware resource deficiency: It refers to the lack of system resources like memory, hard
drive space, etc
HDD (Hard disk drive): Hard disk drives, or HDDs, use a spinning platter and a mechanical
arm to read and write information
HDMI: A type of cable that outputs both video and audio
Heatsink: It is used to dissipate heat from our CPU
HFS+/APFS: HFS+ is a journaling system developed by Apple Inc. and APFS is another but
more encrypted Apple journaling system
Hostname: Used to identify the computer when it needs to talk to other computers
Hubs: Devices that serve as a central location through which data travels through

I
Information technology: The use of digital technology, like computers and the internet, to store
and process data into useful information
Input/Output device: A device that performs input and output, including monitors, keyboards,
mice, hard disk drives, speakers, bluetooth headsets, webcams, and network adapters
Install image: A downloadable operating system image used to install an operating system on
a device
Instruction set: A list of instructions that our CPU is able to run
Internet: A worldwide system of interconnected networks
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN): Where website names
are registered
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4): An address that consists of 32 bits separated into four
groups
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6): An address that consist of a 128 bits, four times the
amount that IPv4 uses
Internet service provider (ISP): A company that provides a consumer an internet connection
Internet of Things (IoT): The concept that more and more devices are connected to the
internet in a smarter fashion such as smart thermostats that turn off the air conditioner when you
leave and turn it on when you come back
Interpreted programming language: A language that isn't compiled ahead of time
I/O management: Anything that can give us input or that we can use for output of data
iOS: A mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc.
IP address: The most common protocol used in the network layer, used to helps us route
information
ITX (Information Technology eXtended): A form factor for motherboards that is much smaller
than ATX boards
K
Kernel: The main core of an operating system that creates processes, efficiently schedules
them, and manages how processes are terminated

L
Land Grid Array (LGA): It is a type of CPU socket that stick out of the motherboard
Lightning adaptor: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in
mobile devices
Linux OS: Linux is one of the largest an open source operating system used heavily in
business infrastructure and in the consumer space
Logic gates: Allow transistors to do more complex tasks, like decide where to send electrical
signals depending on logical conditions
Logs: Files that record system events on our computer
M
MAC address: A globally unique identifier attached to an individual network interface. It's a
48-bit number normally represented by six groupings of two hexadecimal numbers
Mac OS: Apple's operating system
Mb/s: megabit per second, which is a unit of data transfer rate
Memory controller chip (MCC): A bridge between the CPU and the RAM
Memory usage: The amount of memory available in your system as well as what memory is
currently being used by other applications
Memory management: One of the functions that a kernel performs; it optimizes memory usage
and make sure our applications have enough memory to run
Metadata: Tells us everything we need to know about a file, including who created it, when it
was last modified, who has access to it, and what type of file it is.
Micro display port: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in
mobile devices
Micro HDMI: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile
devices
Micro USB: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile
devices
Microsoft Terminal Services Client: A client program used to create RDP connections to
remote computers

Mini HDMI: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile
devices
Mini USB: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
Motherboard: The body or circulatory system of the computer that connects all the pieces
together
N
Network: The interconnection of computers
Network Address Translation (NAT): A mitigation tool that lets organizations use one public IP
address and many private IP addresses within the network
Network stack: A set of hardware or software that provides the infrastructure for a computer
Networking: Managing, building and designing networks
Networking protocols: A set of rules for how we transfer data in a network
Northbridge: interconnects stuff like RAM and video cards.
NVMe (NVM Express): interface standard which allows greater throughput of data and
increased efficiency.
O
Open SSH: The most popular program to use SSH within Linux
Open Source: This means the developers will let other developers share, modify, and distribute
their software for free
Operating system: The whole package that manages our computers resources and lets us
interact with it
Overclocking: it increases the rate of your CPU clock cycles in order to perform more tasks
P
PC: It means personal computer, which technically means a computer that one person uses
PCI Express: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant): Allows computing to go mobile

Peripherals: the external devices which we connect to our computer that add functionality,
like: a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor
Permission denied: An error message you might find when accessing a protected file
Pin Grid Array (PGA): CPU socket where the pins are located on the processor itself
Plink (PuTTY Link): A tool built into the command line after PuTTY is installed that is used to
make remote SSH connections
Ports: Connection points that we can connect devices to that extend the functionality of our
computer
POST (Power On Self Test): It figures out what hardware is on the computer
Powershell: A shell (program that interprets text commands) for Windows
Power supply: Converts electricity from our wall outlet onto a format that our computer can use
Power user: Above average computer users
Process management: The capacity to manage the many programs in a system - when to run
them, the order they run in, how many resources they take up, how long they run, etcetera
Process scheduler: The part of the kernel that makes multitasking possible
Programming: Coding in a programming language
Programming language: Special languages that software developers use to write instructions
for computers to execute
Programs: Basic instructions that tell the computer what to do
Punch cards: A sequence of cards with holes in them to automatically perform calculations
instead of manually entering them by hand
Q
Qwiklabs: An online platform which provides training in cloud services
R
RAM: Random Access Memory
Registers: An accessible location for storing the data that our CPU works with
Reimaging: The process of reimaging involves wiping and reinstalling an operating system
using a disk image which is a copy of an operating system

Remote connection: The ability to connect an authorized person to a computer or network
remotely; allows us to manage multiple machines from anywhere in the world
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP): A secure network communication protocol developed by
Microsoft that allows a user to connect to another device remotely
Return merchandise authorization (RMA): The process of receiving returned merchandise
and authorizing a refund
RGB model: RGB or red, green, and blue model is the basic model of representing colors
ROM chip (Read Only Memory): A read-only memory chip where the BIOS is stored
Root cause: The main factor that's causing a range of issues
Router: A device that knows how to forward data between independent networks
RPM: Revolutions per minute
S
SATA: The most popular serial ATA drive, which uses one cable for data transfers
Safe operating temperature: The temperature range in which rechargeable batteries must be
kept in order to avoid demanage
Scalability: The measure of a system’s ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost
in response to varying loads in system processing demands
SDRAM: It stands for Synchronous DRAM, this type of RAM is synchronized to our systems'
clock speed allowing quicker processing of data
Server logs: Text files that contains recorded information about activities performed on a
specific web server in a defined period of time
Servers: Devices that provide data to other devices that request that data, also known as a
client
Scripting: Coding in a scripting language
Script: It is run by an interpreter, which interprets the code into CPU instructions just in time to
run them
Scripts: Mainly used to perform a single or limited range task
Shell: A program that interprets text commands and sends them to the OS to execute
Standoffs: Used to raise and attach your motherboard to the case

SOC (System On a Chip): Packs the CPU, Ram, and sometimes even the storage onto a
single chip
Software: The intangible instructions that tell the hardware what to do
Software bug: An error in software that causes unexpected results
Software management: A broad term used to refer to any and all kinds of software that are
designed to manage or help manage some sort of project or task
Southbridge: It maintains our IO or input/output controllers, like hard drives and USB devices
that input and output data.
SSH (Secure shell): A protocol implemented by other programs to securely access one
computer from another.
SSH authentication key: A secure authentication method for accessing a computer from other
device
SSH client: A program you must have installed on your device in order to establish an SSH
connection with another device
SSH server: Software installed on a machine that allows for that device to accept an SSH
connection
Standardization: A systematic way of naming hosts
Swap space: The allocated space where the virtual memory is stored on the hard drive when
the amount of physical memory space is used up or full
SSD: Solid State Drive
Switches: Devices that help our data travel
System: A system refers to a group of hardware components and software components that
work together to fun the programs or processes in the computer
System settings: Settings like display resolution, user accounts, network, devices, etc
System software: Software used to keep our core system running, like operating system tools
and utilities
T
Task bar: It gives us quick options and shows us information like network connectivity, the date,
system notifications, sound etc
Terminal: A text based interface to the computer

Thermal paste: A substance used to better connect our CPU and heat sink, so the heat
transfers from to the other better
Time slice: A very short interval of time that gets allocated to a process for CPU execution
Transfer Control Protocol (TCP): A protocol that handles reliable delivery of information from
one network to another
Troubleshooting: The ability to diagnose and resolve a problem
Type-C connector: A type of USB connector meant to replace many peripheral connections
U
Ubuntu: The most popular Linux consumer distribution
UEFI: United Extensible Firmware Interface
USB (Universal Serial Bus): A connection standard for connecting peripherals to devices such
as computers
USB-C adapter: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile
devices
UTF-8: The most prevalent encoding standard used today
Uniform Resource Locator (URL): A web address similar to a home address
User name: A unique identifier for a user account
User space: The aspect of an operating system that humans interact with directly like
programs, such as text editors, music players, system settings, user interfaces, etcetera
V
Virtual Box: An application you can use to install Linux and have it completely isolated from
your machine
Virtual machine (VM): An application that uses physical resources like memory, CPU and
storage, but they offer the added benefit of running multiple operating systems at once
Virtual memory: A combination of hard drive space and RAM that acts like memory which our
processes can use
VPN (Virtual private network): A secure method of connecting a device to a private network
over the internet

W
WannaCry Attack: A cyber attack that started in Europe and infected hundreds of thousands of
computers across the world
Wireless networking (Wi-Fi): Networks you connect to through radios and antennas
World Wide Web (WWW): The information system that enables documents and other web
resources to be accessed over the Internet